Creating content that’s targeted for audiences in very localized markets is extremely challenging for marketers that represent global brands. Accomplishing this objective at scale is an even more difficult obstacle.

But what do brands mean when they say they want to create local content at scale?

Scale or scalability, by its very definition, “is the capability of a system, network, or process to handle a growing amount of work, or its potential to be enlarged to accommodate that growth.”

Scalability, as it applies to content creation, is when a brand invests new resources or realigns existing ones to increase creative output. The challenge for marketers, as outlined in numerous pieces of content, is that assets like budgets and resources are limited and unfit to match consumer demand for more custom and localized content.

1. Localized Marketing = Localized Content

Street Fight is an independent publication that tracks the evolution of localized digital and mobile marketing campaigns.

The company conducted a survey in 2016 by asking 200 executive marketers about how much of their marketing budgets are devoted to localized content. Over half of respondents said localized content is very or somewhat important for their strategies.

Localized marketing ingrains a global brand into the hearts and minds of people living in targeted communities. Huffington Post created a compelling infographic about why people engage more with brands that are invested in the economic prosperity of a local community. People are shifting their preferences towards “buy local” mentalities.

Brands are adjusting their plans for content to maintain connections to people in local communities. Using localized visual and video content, you position your brand as being deeply entrenched in the community. You show your audience that you’re on the ground and invested in the wellbeing of the community.

2. Seize Opportunities to Connect with Local Audiences

Clearly localized content matters for brand positioning and identity. But you need a creative model that allows you to create and promote localized content at scale.

Higher Quality Content Leads to Success

The 2017 Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends report highlights how marketers measure their own effectiveness at creating content, and at content marketing in general. The #1-factor marketers say improves their overall success is more efficient ways to create high-quality content.

The data in the chart above reflects how those two simple reasons correspond and influence each other.

Mobile is a behavior and people increasingly engage with content on their mobile devices. The channels of choice for content consumption are social apps, and 90% of people use half a dozen of the most popular apps to search for content. This behavior effectively creates up to 30 billion moments to reach your audiences every day.

3. Team With the Right Partners and Build Your Brand Identity

Remember that consumer demand for content is rising every year, but internal resources available to marketers remain flat. There’s little room in marketing budgets to pay for travel, accommodation, and miscellaneous costs every time you need content in a local market.

Imagine if this was your only option. Can you envision how your boss or business owner would react if you came asking for financing every time you plan a new marketing campaign?

We can all agree that is never a pretty picture.

Sam Osborn, Head of Content Marketing at GoodData, encourages teams to recognize when they should collaborate with external contributors. There’s so much content expected from marketers and Sam says outsourcing the creative side of the process while retaining control of the brand voice and tone, is the best opportunity for teams to deliver content at scale.

I believe that for maximum efficiency and effectiveness, content marketers should eventually strive to be a hybrid between an editor in chief and an air traffic controller; between long form, short form, videos, ebooks, web copy, social content etc. there is simply too much content that has to be created for one person to do this effectively.

— Sam Osborn, GoodData

Find Local Landmarks to Use in Content

Rebecca Lieb is a prominent strategic advisor, research analyst, and keynote speaker who wrote about “scaling content marketing to a global level.” She encouraged marketers to research the communities where they wish to promote their brands and products. There are local events, activities, venues, and even political campaigns that could impact how people respond to your content.

Rebecca says the best strategic decision is to work with a partner who knows the culture and the best locations to align your brand.

Local input, knowledge, and culture are essential. It’s not enough to translate content into a local language or to push content created at headquarters out to regional divisions.

When building influencer campaigns, marketers are inclined to make experts with large social followings their top priority. But Megan says the size of an audience is secondary to the style and tone a local content creator brings to the equation.

For local content creation, audience size is a secondary metric. The biggest offering local bloggers or vloggers provide is a local perspective and content creation experience.

— Megan Hannay, ZipSprout

Megan highlights the SEO benefits of creating localized content, and how to partner with marketers whose voices align with your brand identity. Those benefits extend to marketers in search of local photographers or videographers who serve as creative partners that help build a visual identity for the brand. These experts are best positioned to provide your brand with the local content you need to make the impact you want in a community.

Local content is a strategic way to build your brand identity within local communities. To be successful, you’ll need to create numerous types of content that you can promote across various social channels. Download our ebook on “How to Scale Content Creation for Social and Digital Channels” for advice on the economics of your content creation process, and new solutions that help you scale.